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Add characters to your Adobe Captivate project

Last updated on Sep 11, 2023

Captivate User Guide
Introduction to Captivate
Add a slide
Add text blocks
1. Add text to a project
Add media blocks
Interactive components
Widgets
Create quizzes
Add audio to a project
1. Add audio
Interactions
Animations
1. Add animations to a project
Accessibility
1. Make a project accessible
Customize the timeline
1. Timeline panel in Adobe Captivate
Customize TOC and Playbar
1. Table of Contents in Adobe Captivate
Edit project properties
Preview a project
1. Preview
Share a project for review
1. Share for review
Publish a project
1. Publish your project
Create a simulation project
1. Simulation

Learn how to add single or multiple characters to a Captivate project.

Note:

Adobe Captivate introduces content blocks, such as text or an image block, which contain components like text, image, or button. Play this video to learn more about content blocks and components.

You can add single or two-character content blocks to a project in the all-new Adobe Captivate. Using characters in eLearning helps your learners connect with your presentation content. If you’re telling a story or presenting a scenario, characters can help your learners visualize the scenario better.

Character content blocks

There are two types of image content blocks available in Captivate:

Single Character
Two Characters

Add a Single Character content block

Select Add media blocks > Single Character in the left toolbar.

Once you add a character content block, you can customize the properties at two levels – at the content block and the character. In the following sections, let’s understand the various properties available under both levels.

Change the properties of the Single Character content block

The block-level properties are available when you select the Single Character content block. You can change the properties available under the various sections, such as Alignment and Spacing, Design Options, Components, and Appearance.

In the Visual Properties panel, expand the Alignment and Spacing section.

The Content Width slider and Horizontal Padding are linked in the Alignment and Spacing section. Moving the slider from the left side changes the left padding value, and moving the slider from right changes the right padding value. The same change is replicated in the Content Width slider when you change the left or right Horizontal padding values.

If you want to add padding at the top or bottom of the selected content block, then enter the desired values for the Top and Bottom padding by changing the values in Vertical padding.

Select the Autofit height checkbox to change the height of the content block to fit the slide.

When you select the checkbox, the content block fits the slide's height. The content is centered, and padding gets added to the top and bottom. Select the checkbox when the content block's height is less than the slide's height, and you want the content to fit the slide.

When there are multiple content blocks, for example, two content blocks, where the combined height of the content blocks is less than the slide's height, if you enable the checkbox on the content blocks, the space is divided between the content blocks.
Select a design option. The Design Options presents pre-configured layouts with cleaner design elements to apply to the character content block.

For more information, view Design options in Adobe Captivate.
In the Components section, you can change the following:
- Character: This option remains disabled.
- Title: Add or remove the title.
- Body: Add or remove the body text.
- Button: Add or remove the button in the content block.
- Card: Add or remove the card around the title, body, and button.
Note:

You can align the components in the Components section. Hover over a component and select any option (Align left, Align center, or Align right).

Note:

If you add a button component and add more than one button, you can distribute the buttons horizontally in a uniform layout.
In the Appearance section, you can change the color settings at the content block level. Add the background color, border, and apply a shadow to the border. Select a solid color, linear or radial gradient, or add an image as a background.
If you've selected Card, in the Card section, you can increase or decrease padding to the card, add a background color, add a radius to one or four corners of the card, add a border to the card, and apply a shadow to the card's border.

Replace the character in the content block

Adobe Captivate lets you replace the character and change its look and feel.

Select the image placeholder and add a character from Assets or your computer.

For more information on working with images, view Images in Adobe Captivate.

Add a character's pose

Add a character's pose from Assets or on your computer.

Select a character on the slide. Click the placeholder icon on the character, and add a pose from Assets.
Select a pose or multiple poses to insert on the slide.
Click Replace Poses.

Note:

After you insert a character, the character's height is determined by filling in the character's available width and maintaining its aspect ratio.

You can now apply any filter on the image, change its blur or brightness level, add or remove the border, and replace the image.

For more information on working with images, view Images in Adobe Captivate.

Select multiple poses

On Assets, you can select multiple poses of a character. When you insert the poses on the slide, these poses can be viewed using the poses flyout panel when that character is selected.

If you change the appearance of the first pose, Pose 1, the changes cascade to the other poses.

You can now apply any filter on the image, change its blur or brightness level, add or remove the border, and replace the image.

For more information on working with images, view Images in Adobe Captivate.

Note:

If you want to change a character's pose at runtime, use the following state-related actions:

Set state
Go to next state
Go to previous state

To learn more about Adobe Captivate's actions, view the List of actions in Adobe Captivate.

Change text in a character block

Select any text in the character block, such as a title or body, and change its properties in the Visual Properties panel.

For more information, view Work with text in Adobe Captivate.

Change the properties of the button in the content block

You can change the button's properties in the Visual Properties panel.

View the article Add buttons to your Captivate project for more information.

Add a Two Characters content block

Select Add media blocks > Two Characters in the left toolbar.

Change the properties of the Two Characters content block

The block-level properties are available when you select the Two Characters content block. You can change the properties available under the various sections, such as Alignment and Spacing, and increase or decrease the number of Characters, Design Options, Components, and Appearance.

In the Visual Properties panel, expand the Alignment and Spacing section.

The Content Width slider and Horizontal Padding are linked in the Alignment and Spacing section. Moving the slider from the left side changes the left padding value, and moving the slider from right changes the right padding value. The same change is replicated in the Content Width slider when you change the left or right Horizontal padding values.

If you want to add padding at the top or bottom of the selected content block, then enter the desired values for the Top and Bottom padding by changing the values in Vertical padding.

Select the Autofit height checkbox to change the height of the content block to fit the slide.

When you select the checkbox, the content block fits the slide's height. The content is centered, and padding gets added to the top and bottom. Select the checkbox when the content block's height is less than the slide's height, and you want the content to fit the slide.

When there are multiple content blocks, for example, two content blocks, where the combined height of the content blocks is less than the slide's height, if you enable the checkbox on the content blocks, the space is divided between the content blocks.
Move the Number of characters slider to increase or decrease the number of characters in the content block.
Select a design option. The Design Options presents pre-configured layouts with cleaner design elements to apply to the content block.

For more information, view Design options in Adobe Captivate.
In the Components section, you can change the following:
- Character: This option remains disabled.
- Speech bubble 1: Add or remove the speech bubble from the first character.
- Speech bubble 2: Add or remove the speech bubble from the second character.
- Previous button: Add or remove the button to go to the previous slide.
- Next button: Add or remove the button to go to the next slide.
In the Appearance section, you can change the color settings at the content block level. Add the background color, border, and apply a shadow to the border. Select a solid color, linear or radial gradient, or add an image as a background.
If you've selected Speech bubble 1 or Speech bubble 2, in the Speech Bubble section, you can increase or decrease padding to a bubble, add a background color, add a radius to one or four corners of the bubble, add a border to the bubble, and apply a shadow to the bubble's border.

Note:

The Two Characters content block's properties are similar to the Conversation slide.

Change the properties of a speech bubble

Select a speech bubble.
In the Speech Bubble section of the Visual Properties panel, you can increase or decrease padding to a bubble, add a background color, add a radius to one or four corners of the bubble, add a border to the bubble, and apply a shadow to the bubble's border.